Manas Closing Could Hasten Afghan Exit -- Military.com
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's visit to Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday could play an even bigger role than last weekend's civilian killings in Afghanistan in determining whether the U.S. withdraws its troops earlier than planned.
President Obama called the deaths of 16 Afghans, allegedly at the hand of an American soldier, "tragic and shocking," but he didn't say it would speed up the pullout. Panetta also said the U.S. remained committed to the scheduled pullout -- however, he didn't eliminate the option of moving more troops out faster.
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My Comment: I concur with this analysis. The closure of Manas Air Base to US planes will put a huge crimp in the supply chain to Afghanistan, forcing the Pentagon and their civilian bosses into doing decisions that they may not feel comfortable in doing .... i.e. making accomodations to Pakistan.
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